1. Do you normally recommend pre-filling the tubular tires with Caffelatex or, just carrying the on-road pressurized bottle?

2. If pre-filled, does this affect the ride to any degree, or the weight (again, to any significant degree)?

Another take on the answer to these...

1. I have deep rims = valve extenders, so I can't add (in my case) Stans after a puncture, so I have pre-filled. I carry a can of Pit-Stop as a back-up.

2. Well, for each time you add 1g of a substance, you add 1g of weight to your wheels - simple. If you can live with that or not is up to you. A friend of mine can not because as he say: ''There is no way extra rotational mass can make me faster'', and he is right. My priorities are different because I also train with my tubular wheels, so I don't mind sacrificing a little weight for the extra puncture resistance. As mentioned above I had two flats on my rear this season, Stans sealed them both and I still run the tubular without any problems/leaks.

1. Do you normally recommend pre-filling the tubular tires with Caffelatex or, just carrying the on-road pressurized bottle?

2. If pre-filled, does this affect the ride to any degree, or the weight (again, to any significant degree)?

I'm Steve from Cantitoe Road, the North American importer of Effetto Mariposa products.

1. It's up to you really. Pre-filling will help give you puncture protection while you are riding. You may not even notice you had a puncture. The Espresso (a single shot of pressurized Caffelatex) is used to fix flats after they happen.

2. 30ml of Caffelatex liquid weighs approximately 36g. This too is really just a personal preference of each rider. It could be a positive effect if you were able to keep riding because it fixed your leak, and you didn't even notice.

Feel free to give us a call if you have any questions about Caffelatex.

I used the Tufo sealant in a pair of Tufo Elite Cyclocross tires. The rear tire had a rather large puncture and it took two treatments to finally seal the leak. Once it was sealed, I had no more punctures that cross season. Note that you will need to remove the valve to inject the sealant into the tube. You then rettach the valve and spin the tire to distribute the sealant. As soon as you inflate the tire, the air pressure forces the sealant into any punctures. Some sealant will remain inside the tire and provide puncture protection for several months. It is also necessary to orient the valves so that the sealant won't clog them when the wheels are being stored. I did not notice any difference in the feel of the tire with the sealant. It adds a little weight, but nothing like a slime tube. It's a liquid latex and I have seen other brands which look identical in color and consistency (beige goop).

It works wonders for goat heads and blackberry thorns. It will even seal a bib pin, should one find its way into your tire. Most cuts are going to be too big to seal, so if you hit some glass, you are probably SOL. Note as well that I ran my CX tires at relatively low air pressure ~32psi.

Question for those of you using Sealant as a preventative measure, what happens after it dries up? Do you just keep adding more every 3-6 months? Do you end up with a 400g tire after 3 or 4 applications?

Question for those of you using Sealant as a preventative measure, what happens after it dries up? Do you just keep adding more every 3-6 months? Do you end up with a 400g tire after 3 or 4 applications?

30ml of Caffelatex liquid weighs approximately 36g. The dried weight of Caffelatex is roughly 25% (1/4) of its original liquid weight, which comes out to less than 9g of dried weight. So after 4 applications 36g of dried weight. This varies depending upon the tire you are using, as each tire seems to require slightly different amounts of sealant for maximum protection.

One application of liquid Caffelatex can last over a year in a tubular with a latex inner tube. Of course this depends upon all kinds of conditions and configurations; the kind of wheel and tire set-up, tire sidewall thickness and porosities, external temperature and humidity, bicycle storage conditions, etc... We recommend checking Caffelatex every 2 months, to make sure it's liquid and therefore retains its "puncture preventive" action.

In a thin walled tubeless setup the Caffelatex will last a much shorter time, maybe three months in hot conditions.

In a tubeless setup you could remove the tire and peel out the dried Caffelatex. However, any holes that have been patched by the Caffelatex could be re-opened.

The manufacturer mentioned this earlier "And then, some heads-up: we're going to launch at Interbike this year an additional product that will furtherly extend Caffélatex maximum sealable puncture way beyond what is currently possible for sealants. More on that soon!"

The manufacturer mentioned this earlier "And then, some heads-up: we're going to launch at Interbike this year an additional product that will furtherly extend Caffélatex maximum sealable puncture way beyond what is currently possible for sealants. More on that soon!"

Any news on this? Did they release a newer version?

A linen thread and a needle is about the most advanced as you can get. Anything else is just smoke and mirrors....

Do not ever rely on it it. It works sometimes but has it's pittfalls too.

To whomever serious about riding tubs, the best way to repair a tubular is to use thread and needle.It's not the easiest way but knowing how to repair a tub this way really deserves a thread all of its own.

It appears that there is not a real consensus on which sealant is best. Personal preference and some sealants working better in certain cases/tires seems to be the primary factors.

However, what would experienced tubular riders recommend for a newbie but an aspiring "everyday tubular" guy during long rides.I realize an extra tubular is the safe way to go, but sealant + cell phone and good luck seem like a plausible alternative. Or should I really pack a lightweight tubular, even without much experience in mounting them... yet.

So what would you recommend I take on a long solo ride? I think I'll eventually be using Veloflex tubulars with 46mm deep tubulars. I like CO2 better than frame pumps.

Sealant sometimes works well but as Frank said you can't really rely on it for long rides.

I tried caffeelatex before and it did fix a flat I had on the road. I don't really like to put stuff in my nice tubs. You also need to make sure to keep them inflated or the sealant can bond the inner tube together when flat.

Personally I just take a good spare tire with me.

I hardly ever flat on tubs so I think flatting twice would be really unusual (never happened yet). By a good spare I mean a decent (used) tire, not those superlight tufos. I also take a flat lever with me to work the tire off the rim. I work a small piece of the tire off, slide the lever under the tire and use a rocking motion to get the tire off. In case your tire needs a valve extender, you can either take a spare with you, or the little valve tool.

I do the same as strobbekoen. A flat plastic lever a la those yellow Michelin ones.Once you released enough of the tub, get your hand underneath it and pull the tub upwards, not sideways as most do.It's easier that way and reduces the risk of pulling the base tape loose.

Quote:

I like CO2 better than frame pumps

So do I but then you better take a spare tubular with a butyl inner tube as latex inner tubes do not hold CO2 very well.

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